Mechanical indicating fuseholder



Nov. 15, 1966 J. P. HUSSAR 3,286,062

MECHANICAL INDICATING FUSEHOLDER Filed Sept. 3, 1965 FIG. 2. FIG. 1.

K, L/ FIG. 3. FIG. 4.

//0 W J 3 '%//J V7 /2/// ZNVENTOR JOSEPH P, HUSSAE.

BY MS JZR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,286,062 MECHANICAL INDICATING FUSEI-IOLDER Joseph P. Hussar, Weymouth, Mass., assignor to Fuse Indicator Corporation, Rockville, Md., a corporation of Maryland Filed Sept. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 485,00 3 Claims. (Cl. 200121) The present invention relates to current limiting devices for use more preferably with low voltage electrical circuits having audible and visual indicating means for immediately announcing the blown or ruptured condition of the fusible element thereof.

An object of the invention is to provide a miniature fuseholder of the aforesaid character constructed in an economical manner whereby it may be easily and readily applied for panel mounting and yet can be destroyed and replaced with an entirely new fuseholder at less expense than that incurred by merely renewing the blown or ruptured fusible element housed therein.

Other objects of the invention are in part obvious and in part pointed out herein as the specification continues.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of the fuseholder.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

FIG. 3 is atop plan view.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view.

FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged transverse section view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 6 in the direction of the arrow points.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the bottom or lower section of the fuseholder with the cover removed.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the lower side of the cover or top section when removed from the bottom section of the fuseholder.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the yoke panel.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the decalcomania hereinafter referred to as decal.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the contact terminals. I

FIG. 11 is a side elevation taken at right angles to FIG. 10, and

FIG. 12 is a top plan view of the latter.

In FIGURES 1 to 4 inclusive of the drawing I have illustrated the actual size of the sectional holder or casing which is molded from insulating materials comprising a lower section 1 and a top section 2. The bottom section 1 is provided with two recessers 3 for receiving the guide pins 4 formed with the top section 2 otherwise both sections are identical and can be permanently riveted together by means of the eyelet 5. The opposite side walls of each section are provided with aligning recesses 6 whereby the front end of a fuseholder after being inserted through a rectangular opening within a panel board will be retained upon the latter.

Aligning recesses are formed in the front end of each section of the holder to provide an opening 7 which is closed by means of the window 8. This window 8 is formed from clear acetate molding materials and one section thereof is covered by decal 9, consisting of an opaque film, having a pressure sensitive back with black letters upon a white background each having one of the following, 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A markings indicating the amperes to be applied to each fuseholder.

Within the cavity formed by the connected sections of the holder is a yoke 10 formed from fibre board having free sliding movement between the guide lugs 11 in back of the window 8. That side of the yoke panel facing the window 8 has one section painted white which latter when facing the clear section of the window gives an indicator that the fusible element is good, but when the unpainted section of the yoke appear before the clear section of the 3,286,062 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 "ice window the latter becomes dark indicatingthat the fusible element has blown.

The rear walls of each sections of the body having aligning openings 12 extending therethrough for receiving the contact terminals 13, 14, 15, and 16. The contact terminals are each identical in construction consisting of a single strip of berryllium copper, spring tempered and silver plated. One section 17 has a hook 18 formed with it outer extremity which are each seated in recesses 19 formed within the side walls and lugs 20 of the-sections of the body for retaining the contact terminal Within the latter and at the same time exerts pressure upon the opposite or long section 21. Lugs 22 are also formed with each section of the body for retaining the sections 21 of contact terminals 13 and 16 stationary at all times. The section 21 of contact terminals 14 and 15 extend through the opened and slots 23 found with the yoke panel 10. The outer extremity of the sections 21 have each formed at right angles thereto and slanting at a 60 degree chamfer a contact section 24 provided with a slot 25.

The fusible element 26 is preferably formed from silver wire of a basic diameter in size according to the ampercs of the electrical circuits in which it is to be included. However due to the low ampere ratings of the fuse wire other conditions must be taken into consideration other than the basic diameter of the wire, such as the con fined space, length, heat-sink adjuncts etc., in order to obtain the correct ampere rating of each fuseholder and as great care must be used in mounting these fuse wires it would be less costly to destroy each blown fuseholder and replace same with a new factory assembled fuseholder. The fuse wire 26 has it opposite and extending through the slots 25 of the section 24 formed with the contact terminals 13 and 14 and soldered to the extension 24 thereof, as best illustrated in FIG. 6 of the drawing. The main supply of current to the terminal 13 and 14 is permitted to flow through the fuse wire 25, but when the latter blows or becomes ruptured the section 21 of the terminals 14 and 15 will be released whereby the main supply of current will be discontinued. As the section 21 of the terminal 15 is released its extremity 24 will contact the extremity 24 of the terminal 16 closing the electrical circuit between the terminal 15 and 16 and which later circuit has enclosed therein a bell or other audible device for announcing the blown condition of the wire fuse 26.

I claim:

1. A fuseholder connectable to an electrical circuit and an electrical alarm comprising a casing of electrical insulating material having an interior cavity and four openings extending therethrough into said cavity, four contact terminals each of a single sheet of spring pressed electrical conducting material bent into a long section and a short section extending alongside said long section, a hook provided at the free extremity of said short section, and a contact section provided at the free extremity of said long section extending laterally of and on a slant relative to said long section having a slot therein, each of said contact terminals extending through one of said casing openings, means anchoring each of said contact terminal hooks to said casing, means anchoring the long sections of a pair of said contact terminals to said casing, a yoke jointly connecting the contact sections of a second pair of said contact terminals, a fusible element connecting the contact sections of one of said anchored contact terminal long sections with the long section of one of said jointly connected terminals, said contact terminals connected by the said fusible element being connectable to an electrical circuit and the other of said anchored contact terminals having its contact section facing the contact section of the otherof said jointly connected contact terminals and said fusible element through said yoke panel normally retaining one of said facing contact sections from the other of said facing contact sections until said fusible element is ruptured whereupon said contact terminals with facing contact section are capable of setting off an electrical alarm when connected thereto.

' 2. A fuseholder connectable to an electrical circuit and an electrical alarm as claimed in claim 1 wherein said means anchoring said hooks consists of recesses provided in said casing each having one of said hooks therein and said means anchoring the long sections of a pair of said contact terminals consisting of openings in said casing each having one of said long sections extending therethrough.

3. A fuseholder connectable to an electrical circuit and an electrical alarm comprising a casing of electrical insulating material having an interior cavity defined by top, bottom and side interior walls of said casing and a plurality of openings extending therethrough into the bottom wall of said cavity, said casing having recesses in opposite side walls of said cavity each adjacent one of said openings, a pair of recessed lugs extending from said cavity bottom wall each adjacent a further one of said openings, and a second pair of recessed lugs extending from said cavity opposite side walls, a plurality of contact terminals each consisting of a single sheet of spring pressed electrical conducting material bent into a long section and a short section extending alongside said long section, a hook provided at the free extremity of said short section and a contact section provided at the free extremity of said long section extending laterally of and .4 on a slant relative to said long section, a pair of said contact terminals each extending through one of said casing openings with its hook extending into one of said casing side wall recesses and its long section extending through one of said side wall recessed lugs, a second pair of said contact terminal each extending through a further one of said casing openings and having its hook extending into one of said bottom wall recessed lugs, a yoke panel connecting the long sections of said second pair of contact terminals, a fusible element connecting the long section of one of said first pair of contact terminals with a long section of one of said second pair of contact terminals and the contact sections of the other contact terminal of said first pair thereof extending towards the contact section of the other contact terminal of said second pair thereof for contacting when said fusible element is ruptured.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,443,136 1/1923 Lamar 200112 1,922,820 8/1933 Olandt 20121 2,081,675 5/1937 Muldoon 200-121 1,081,675 5/1937 Muldoon 200121 2,678,429 4/1954 Abbott 339196 2,923,796 2/1960 Davis 200129 2,945,098 7/ 1960 Ludwig 200166 3,190,987 6/1965 Fister 200-121 FOREIGN PATENTS 618,900 3/1961 Italy.

BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A FUSEHOLDER CONNECTABLE TO AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND AN ELECTRICAL ALARM COMPRISING A CASING OF ELECTRICAL INSULATING MATERIAL HAVING AN INTERIOR CAVITY AND FOUR OPENINGS EXTENDING THERETHROUGH INTO SAID CAVITY, FOUR CONTACT TERMINALS EACH OF A SINGLE SHEET OF SPRING PRESSED ELECTRICAL CONDUCTING MATERIAL BENT INTO A LONG SECTION AND A SHORT SECTION EXTENDING ALONGSIDE SAID LONG SECTION, A HOOK PROVIDED AT THE FREE EXTREMITY OF SAID SHORT SECTION, AND A CONTACT SECTION PROVIDED AT THE FREE EXTREMITY OF SAID LONG SECTION EXTENDING LATERALLY OF AND ON A SLANT RELATIVE TO SAID LONG SECTION HAVING A SLOT THEREIN, EACH OF SAID CONTACT TERMINALS EXTENDING THROUGH ONE OF SAID CASING OPENINGS, MEANS ANCHORING EACH OF SAID CONTACT TERMINAL HOOKS TO SAID CASING, MEANS ANCHORING THE LONG SECTIONS OF A PAIR OF SAID CONTACT TERMINALS TO SAID CASING, A YOKE JOINTLY CONNECTING THE CONTACT SECTIONS OF A SECOND PAIR OF SAID CONTACT TERMINALS, A FUSIBLE ELEMENT CONNECTING THE CONTACT SECTIONS OF ONE OF SAID ANCHORED CONTACT TERMINAL LONG SECTIONS WITH THE LONG SECTION OF ONE OF SAID JOINTLY CONNECTED TERMINALS, SAID CONTACT TERMINALS CONNECTED BY THE SAID FUSIBLE ELEMENT BEING CONNECTABLE TO AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT AND THE OTHER OF SAID ANCHORED CONTACT TERMINALS HAVING ITS CONTACT SECTION FACING THE CONTACT SECTION OF THE OTHEROF SAID JOINTLY CONNECTED CONTACT TERMINALS AND SAID FUSIBLE ELEMENT THROUGH SAID YOKE PANEL NORMALLY RETAINING ONE OF SAID FACING CONTACT SECTIONS FROM THE OTHER OF SAID FACING CONTACT SECTIONS UNTIL SAID FUSIBLE ELEMENT IS RUPTURED WHEREUPON SAID CONTACT TERMINALS WITH FACING CONTACT SECTION ARE CAPABLE OF SETTING OFF AN ELECTRICAL ALARM WHEN CONNECTED THERETO. 